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Notes: Rangers confident in offense

Notes: Rangers confident in offense

CHICAGO -- The Rangers dropped two spots after being no-hit by White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle on Wednesday.

They went into Wednesday's game hitting .221, the second-lowest team batting average in the American League. Only the White Sox, who were hitting .215, were lower.

The Rangers also went into Thursday's game undaunted by what happened Wednesday night. They gave full credit to Buehrle and still believe their offense is going to start rolling again soon.

"Absolutely," shortstop Michael Young said. "There are no concerns. We recognize the fact that we have to make adjustments, and we will make them. There are some good signs and some guys with good track records here who need to get going. We just need to get it going sooner than later. We can't keep saying our numbers are going to be there in the end. We need to get going."

The one good sign is the Rangers still went into Thursday's game ranked sixth in the league with 66 runs scored. That's due to the fact they were second in the league in home runs.

"I still think these guys are close," hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo said. "It's not a physical thing, their work ethic or a lack of preparation. It's just a lack of trust. I think they're a little off mentally. [On Tuesday night], we got a couple of big hits and everybody caught fire. Last night, it rolled the other way -- one guy doesn't get it done and the next guy tries too hard to get it done for him.

"My job is to stay positive and stay with them, get them to trust their approach and their mechanics and don't try to do too much. It's going to happen; they just need to stay positive."

Texas manager Ron Washington didn't try to shake up the lineup. He did start Chris Stewart instead of Gerald Laird at catcher, but he said that was because he wanted Stewart to work with starter Vicente Padilla.

Laird is hitting .132, but Washington said, "I could pull a lot of guys out of the lineup because of their offensive struggles."

Instead he believes, like the others, the Rangers will get it going.

"I'm not concerned and I'm not frustrated," Washington said. "I'm antsy. I'm antsy because I wanted to see them get started as bad as they want to get started. Every time they swing the bat, I feel something good is going to happen. It just hasn't."

Wilkerson shows improvement: Brad Wilkerson said he has had significant improvement in his left knee and is hoping to be back in the lineup on Friday when right-hander Joe Blanton pitches for the Athletics. Wilkerson received a cortisone shot in the knee before Wednesday's game, and he said he could tell the difference on Thursday.

"I haven't had any problems today," Wilkerson said. "I did some work in the gym, and it feels like it's back to normal."

Nadel does first no-hitter: Rangers broadcaster Eric Nadel was in the passenger seat when the late Mark Holtz called the final out of the club's last three no-hitters. So Nadel was at the microphone on Wednesday night, only it was an opponent who was throwing the no-hitter.

"It was really exciting," Nadel said. "I was curious if I would be rooting for or against our guys, since it was 6-0. But I found myself rooting against Buehrle. But when it was over, it was exciting and I felt privileged. The problem was Buehrle works so fast I didn't get a chance to set the stage for any sense of drama."

Spanish broadcaster Eleno Ornelas, who had broadcast two no-hitters in Mexico, said, "I got more excited about the no-hitter than the outcome of the game."

Minor moves: The Rangers traded pitcher Daniel Haigwood to the Red Sox for Minor League pitcher Scott Shoemaker, who will be assigned to Class A Bakersfield. Shoemaker was 11-3 with a 3.98 ERA last season and had made two appearances in Double-A this year.

"This is a guy who we are bringing into our system to help stabilize our Bakersfield staff," assistant general manager Thad Levine said. "We'll give him a shot and see where it takes us."

The Rangers also promoted pitcher Steve Rowe from Double-A Frisco to Triple-A Oklahoma. Doug Mathis was sent from Oklahoma to Frisco.

He said it: "I didn't pitch too well and I was definitely frustrated by that. But to sit and watch what he did, it doesn't make it easier, but it was a pleasure to watch." -- Kevin Millwood, on Buehrle's no-hitter

Homestand highlights: Upcoming on the Rangers' five-game homestand are the following:

 The Rangers will honor six members of the Tuskegee Airmen who are from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. That was the name of a popular group of African-American pilots who flew with distinction during World War II as the 332nd Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
 The Negro League Museum Hall of Fame Traveling Exhibit will be on display at the home-plate entrance to the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington from 5:45 to 7:45 p.m. CT on Saturday and 11-2 p.m. on Sunday.
 Washington, first-base coach Gary Pettis and former Ranger Mark McLemore will host a baseball clinic at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Boys & Girls Club of South Oak Cliff in Dallas.
 There will be fireworks after Saturday's game.

Wednesday's Minor stars: Top performances on Wednesday from the Rangers' four Minor League teams included:

Gold: Class A Bakersfield pitcher Edinson Volquez threw six scoreless innings in a start against Stockton, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out eight. Stockton scored six in the ninth to win, 7-1.

Silver: Class A Clinton shortstop Marcus Lemon was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in a 4-3 loss to Western Michigan.

Bronze: Marlon Byrd had three singles in five at-bats in Oklahoma's 9-2 loss to Nashville.

Up next: Brandon McCarthy will pitch for the Rangers against the Athletics at 7:05 p.m. Friday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It opens a three-game series against Oakland and a five-game homestand.

T.R. Sullivan is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.